Radon Emissions From Granite Countertops

In july 2008 news articles appearing in the new york times and the houston chronicle cast light upon a household toxin.

Radon emissions from granite countertops. To reduce the risk of lung cancer from exposure to radon epa recommends testing all homes for radon regardless of whether the home contains granite countertops. Assuming a relatively tight house with an air change rate of 0 5 per hour h 1 and using average measured dose rates from granite countertop slabs the estimated radon concentration in kitchen air would be 4 8 becquerels per cubic meter bq m 3. You might even find it in the water. Some granite countertops may emit radon.

This means they will almost always over respond when attempting to measure the radon emissions. There are currently no regulations concerning granite countertops radon gas or radiation emissions. Call 1 800 sos radon 767 7236 or purchase do it yourself home radon test kits at home store retail locations or online. Simple hand held geiger counters are not calibrated for measuring only the radon producing radium in granite.

Some granite countertops have been found to give off trace amounts of radon and reporters cited a few kitchens with radon levels as high as 25 times the epa s safety limit of 4 picocuries per liter of. The radon scare has been an on and off hot subject of contention for some time. Granite countertops and radon gas science and technical committee of the american association of radon scientists and technologists aarst august 4 2008 2 pages. This concentration is less than.

At issue is whether some granite countertops emit dangerous levels of radiation especially the gas radon which is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. So are granite countertops a real risk. Here are some frequently asked questions about radon and the risks associated with granite. Radiation from granite countertops.

The reports were about granite countertops that contain radium which can emit radon a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. Not all the radiation coming from the granite that makes the clicking sound comes from radon producing radium. People love granite countertops though some may worry that it will emit radon a colorless odorless radioactive gas that comes from the natural breakdown of rocks and natural stones.